


Lalaith

by pdorkaa



Series: readers [2]
Category: The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types
Genre: Canon - Movie, F/M, Helm's Deep, Movie Quotation(s), Self-Insert, Shameless, Sorry?, Temporary Character Death, ofc-ish, since Aragorn got lost
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-30
Updated: 2015-10-30
Packaged: 2018-04-24 04:05:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4904830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pdorkaa/pseuds/pdorkaa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aragorn is missing - he is presumably dead -, and a female character (who is not at all defined so you might or might not imagine that's you there), who is one of the Dúnedain and a fighter, is grieving beyond human capability. She and Legolas grow closer slowly (relatively slow since this is a short something), then Aragorn happens and the Battle of Helm's Deep happens and then some other things happen... I'm experimenting with reader insert in third person singular.</p><p>
  <em> Is not related to any of the other works in this series. </em>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lalaith

**Author's Note:**

> this is basically a shameless self-insert because, well, i longed for some Legolas smut... might do an Aragorn one someday too.  
> plus i went for something melancholic at first but promise promise it gets better. hence the title "laughter".

"Laiqualassë" she said quietly. Legolas' head shot up; he understood the word, he understood that he was being addressed as  _green foliage of leaves,_ but didn't understand why she'd chosen a quenya word to do that. 

"Yes?"

She halted for a second, then said: "I'm cold."

Legolas smiled a little at that. He knew all the pain and suffering that was behind this simple statement.  He came closer and held her for a brief moment. 

"What is wrong?" He asked. She sighed. 

"Ú-chebin Estel anim" she puffed out the words, as if they were a great burden. Legolas knew why she chose the quote, he knew what she was feeling. 

"Estel lives" he said, but she noticed that his eyes weren't quite as  confident as his voice was. She could only nod at that, and when Legolas left, she was standing in the entrance hall of Hornburg by herself,  half-formed tears in her eyes.

 

 

The fear hung heavy in the air. After the... The attack on the way here,  everyone had been shaken - King Théoden himself showed signs of disbelief,  discomfort,  hopelessness; fear, even. 

She couldn't talk much. Everywhere she went, things kept reminding her of Estel: a pair of leather boots, a gesture one man made, the familiar smell of horses - everything held more significance than before. And there was the piece of silver elven jewellery Arwen Undómiel had given him with Legolas. That,  while showing that Legolas believed Estel could return, also kept her in constant pain no human could endure.

Legolas saw that. In fact, he was sure that had she not been raised in Imladris, she could not have found ways to cope with her grief. He presumed that she would fight relentlessly in the battle when it came,  even if it means certain death for her. She was a Dúnadan, after all.

And she has lost a brother. 

 

 

 She heard someone call her name.  She turned around,  but saw no one who she thought could call for her.  How silly she had been,  thinking that he was saying her name... But then she heard it again. This time, when she turned around, she saw Legolas making his way towards her amongst Rohan's last survivors.

"I don't want you to fight" he said without hesitation.

"The orcs aren't even here yet" she said,  confused. "And you should know I'm going to."

"For Aragorn?"

"For Estel" she answered,  and they both knew she didn't only mean the man, but the word's original meaning, hope, too. After all, if they gave up, who would be fighting against Sauron? There was no Elendil or Isildur this time; they were the ones who had to step up to their roles. Aragorn, Legolas, Théoden, Mithrandir, Gimli, her, the Ring Bearer and the other hobbits. Who if not them? 

"For Estel" he murmured. He was standing much closer now,  resting one of his hands on her shoulder.  She looked into his eyes and in the blue irises she saw something she never noticed before. Concern... and something else flashed through his eyes before he closed them and gave her a light kiss on the lips. He then disappeared amongst the other men on the corridor,  leaving her with a sad,  resonant "namárië" ringing in her ears.  It sounded not only like he was bidding farewell,  but like he was bidding farewell to a person who he's certain he'll never see alive again. 

 

 

"You look terrible" she heard Legolas say that to someone when she crossed the entrance hall some time later. She couldn't help but wonder who would Legolas be this rude to, when she saw-- no. This couldn't be true,  that's Estel right there, it's--

Before she could think of anything, she had already dropped all the armour and sheathed swords she was holding, and ran to them. 

"Estel, Estel" she cried, clinging to his worn leather clothing. 

"Shh, little one, I'm here" he chided. "Where is Théoden?"

 

 

After that, Helm's Deep reverberated with the clutter of swords, heavy armour and the cries of mothers. Legolas stole a couple of quick glances at her, determined to etch every single look at her into his memory. He was certain that this battle would end tragically with all of their deaths. 

"Then we will die as one of them!" she heard Estel say, and from Legolas' angered look she could tell what caused the dispute between the two of them. 

"Laiqualassë" she asked quietly, "please, I told you - we have no choice."

Legolas nodded curtly. He looked into her eyes and saw sheer determination there. "We fight" he said and nodded again. 

 

 

Moments before nightfall, almost all of their army stood on top of the walls of Hornburg, waiting in heavy silence for the enemy to appear.

She and Legolas were hurrying down the corridor to take their positions, when Legolas caught her and pushed her to a wall.

"I ask you one la--"

"I'm fighting" she said fiercely, cutting off his plea.

"Don--"

"I do" she said, and Legolas withered under her gaze. "Legolas" she began, and he trembled. She rarely called him by name, and when she did, it was mostly the quenya translation of his name she'd say. But never 'Legolas' in this cold, unaccepting tone. "You cannot stop me" she finished.

Legolas nodded with his eyes closed, his brows expressing immense pain - a thing rarely seen on an elven face. He then, still without a word, leaned in and kissed her. But this was not the chaste kiss of affection from earlier; it was hard and hot and it expressed some hidden fever, a carnal want that made her feel like the world has ended or only just begun; it was quick and swift and wonderful, lighting up both their bodies.

"I want you to live, that is all" Legolas finally said when he pulled away, slightly panting. And before a 'Lai--' left her mouth, he murmured 'namárië' into her ear - which caused her whole body to light up again - bowed shortly, and hurried out.

 

 

After the battle, he couldn't find her. He looked everywhere except for the infirmaries - he didn't want to see her lying dead on the floor. When she did appear with a heavily bandaged arm, he was so relieved he kissed her - this third kiss was so unlike the first two she couldn't find words to describe it. It had all the affection and longing and fear and pain stuffed inside it, and when they parted, she barely noticed the inquiring look Aragorn gave them.

 

 

"So an Elda fell in love with you" he said much later, when they were riding towards Isengard. "I hope you know that only means pain and suffering."

"Look at you, the ray of sunshine" smiled she, with a touch of melancholy in her eyes. "This is a beautifully ironic situation: the heirs of Isildur fell in love with the daughter of Elrond and the son of Thranduil."

"I was afraid it would turn out like this" Estel nodded.

"I think it's somehow all things must go" she said slowly. "You regain the throne of Gondor, earn Undómiel's hand, and I lead the Dúnedain to Gondor. I do not know of Legolas' wishes."

"He will stay by your side" Aragorn smiled. "Look at that" he bobbed his head in the direction of an approaching rider, "we can't discuss things in peace, because he is already here, wanting to talk to you."

She smiled and rode off to meet the approaching Legolas.

 

 

That night, after the dispute with Saruman, when the others settled down, Legolas took her hand and drew her out to the woods.

"Beautiful" he murmured as they walked between the age-old trees. From time to time, they caught the eye of a few Ents, but neither disturbed the other, and they all went their separate ways.

They stopped in a small clearing. Looking up, they saw the many stars of Arda, shining bright upon them. The small sounds of the huorn forest surrounded the two: the quiet cracking and wailing of trees as the wind blew through their branches.

"What is wrong?" She asked softly.

Legolas sighed. He looked into her eyes, they were so close they felt each other's breath on their cheeks. "I love you" he said, his voice barely more than a whisper.

She closed her eyes and kissed him, slowly, sweetly, turning every thought of fate and purpose away.

"Fate be damned" she sighed desperately and kissed him again; it was heated, much different from the earlier ones. Legolas' hands caressed the small of her back, her sides, her shoulders and her neck - her own hands mirroring the same actions on his body, skating on his skin.

Legolas caught her hips, picked her up and walked closer to the edge of the clearing, never once wanting to break the kiss. She was the one who broke it, only to say: "Never say namárië again, do you understand it, Elf?"

Legolas huffed a laugh. "Or else I'll have to face not one, but two blades of the Dúnedain."

"The entire army" she corrected him, half-smiling. 

She didn't get an answer to that; Legolas put her down on the grass. She lied down, practically yanking the Elf on top of herself, and  kissed him feverishly. Legolas responded with the same fervour, and soon their hands were roaming under each other's clothes. It had not occured to them that they had certain obligations to fulfill before they could embrace each other. Thankfully, they were reminded to them by Treebeard, who was walking past the two of them, and greeted them with a disapproving "children" amongst a tirade of humming.

Legolas and she had to wait; the same way Arwen and Aragorn had to wait. A minute, if counted by Elves, but a lifetime to humans. Arwen and Legolas felt the same way, though neither of them knew of it: only a minute to them, but a long minute of wasted time, and also the most important one.

The only thing they didn't have was time.

Just like Lúthien Tinúviel had been, Arwen Undómiel and now Legolas were in the same torturing situation; they weren't wasting their own endless time, but the time of their loved ones.

 

 

It is unnecessary to speak of the course of the Ring War; Legolas, Estel, Gimli, her, Éowyn, Éomer, Faramir, the four Hobbits and Gandalf got out of it alive. Théoden and countless others were not so lucky.

On the day of Aragorn's coronation, the sky was bright and clear, warm breeze filtered through the branches of the blooming White Tree. She stood beside him, singing along:

" _Et Eärello, Endorenna utúlien. Sinomé maruvan, ar Hildínyar - tenn' Ambar-Metta._ "

They came down, Ranger-Estel-Aragorn-King Elessar wearing the winged crown of Gondor, and her,  the sister, greeting their allies and friends. 

And as she saw Aragorn kiss Undómiel, lips catched her own, leaving her surprised.

"Lalaith" Legolas whispered into her ear. Shivers ran down her spine. 

"Is that a new name you came up with?"

He smiled his small smile, locking his eyes with hers. Blue eyes that promised so much more. 

 

 

That night,  she undressed in her room with a slight sense of disappointment. The feast of course was marvellous,  splendid,  and Aragorn and Undómiel's reunion was more beautiful than any one of them could have imagined, but all along the celebration she felt a slight tinge of pain as Legolas was sitting on the far side of the table and did not spare a glance for her. 

"You're distressed" a sweet, calm voice noted behind her. 

She put down the pair of silky, embroidered slippers she was holding, turned and looked up to the Elf standing behind her. 

"Why did you sneak up on me?" She asked.

"I did not" he answered as he took two prim steps towards her. 

She sighed but did not answer. 

"Do you not remember our vows we took in the Huorn forest?"

She sighed again and thought back to the intimate night near Isengard. They promised they would wait for each other. 

"The heirs of Isildur have regained the honour of their house. Estel earned Arwen Undómiel's hand. Did I earn yours? Or do you not care that we are not married?"

"We possess a bond more ancient than that."

"We vowed before Varda" she nodded. "Still you paid no attention to me tonight whatsoever."

"Did you wish to discuss the things we intend to do with each other during the feast?" His voice was calm, unfazed, while still expressing slight amusement. 

Not waiting for an answer, he leaned in and kissed her, causing her whole body to light up. She kissed back ferociously and started playing with his elven braids, undoing one at a time. He brought up one hand to rest on her cheek and neck, unfastening the clasp of her necklace and the knots on her dress. 

She broke the kiss for a second, coming up for air, then ran her hands through Legolas' silvery gold, now completely let-down hair. He brought her face closer while placing his other hand on her waist, bringing their hips and abdomens together. 

As their pelvic bones touched, she felt heat growing inside her, slowly but steadily. Her breathing quickened, her pupils dilated.

Slowly, Legolas laid her down on the bedspreads, covering her jawline and neck in sweet, sharp kisses, occasionally grazing her skin with teeth. His hands meanwhile continued untying the bows of her dress, undressing her. As soon as she was freed from the corset, he began sucking on one of her nipples gently. She was soaking wet by now, and could not speak properly - she grabbed a handful of Legolas' hair and yanked his head up, bringing his lips to hers and losing herself in an extremely heated kiss. 

Sadly, Legolas broke the kiss, but when she would have began to complain, he trailed his tongue down her jaw, her neck, her side, leaving chaste kisses and light bite marks along his way.

He reached the line of her skirt, where he didn't yet remove her clothes, and dipped his fingers in between her skin and the fabric, just deep enough to reach her pelvic bone. She took a sharp breath. 

"Laiqualassë" she whispered. "Your clothes--" Her voice was husky, her breath came in ragged, strained inhales. 

Legolas complied, slowly standing up, clearly teasing her as he shed his clothes.

She took a minute to admire his features - the long limbs, the lanky, tall figure, the toned, muscled body that still looked and felt featherlight, the glowing  porcelain skin and the v-line of his sides that led her eyes so naturally to his penis, long in his arousal and lanky, white-skinned as the rest of his body. 

"Are you satisfied with me?" He asked seriously, though she felt a slight tone of irony in his tone. She didn't say anything, just propped herself up on her elbows.

"Not entirely" she answered finally. Legolas leaned down, curving that long back of his, taking one of her boobs in his hand and catching the other nipple in his mouth. Then he began to move downwards again, but this time he pulled off the long,  embroidered skirt and all the layers underneath it, to finally give a light, almost chaste kiss on her clitoris.

Her whole body shivered and unconsciously she lifted up her pelvis, giving Legolas a mouthful. He added a long finger and began to move his tongue in lazy circles.

"Legolas-- more!" She pushed out the words between gritted teeth. Legolas curved his finger inside her and gently suck on her clitoris before removing both finger and mouth. 

She saw that he'd been running his other hand along his length, smoothly wetting it with pre-come all over. 

She ached, felt a strange emptiness inside her and longed for his cock to fill her, to rub in and out of her, to slide in deep to be pulled back out again and again. 

Legolas seemed to be thinking along these lines too,  because he suddenly let go of his cock, parted her legs and fully sheathed himself inside her. She moaned, almost screamed from the mixed sensation of pain and pleasure -and after Legolas started moving, her vision seemed to blur and she melted against the sheets. 

Legolas let out a distressed sound, almost a moan, and she opened her eyes to see that his were open, gazing into hers, telling of pure love and affection.

He moaned, and furrowed his brows as he began to increase the pace, all beautiful intimacy lost. Only the feeling of raw need lingered in the air, making their blood boil.

Now Legolas was pounding into her, shamelessly moaning her name, behaving so unlike himself. She almost stopped moving, felt incapable of responding to his thrusts as she began to feel some unexplainable expectation and heat pooling up in her lower abdomen. Her clitoris began to twitch and she couldn't resist reaching down and stimulating it - she felt Legolas tremble as he understood what she was doing and he slowed down, thrusting hard and deep into her and sucking on her collarbone.

"Do you want me to go faster?" He asked her with a smug look in his eyes. 

"Do not play games with me, Elf" she warned him, even though the warning missed the sharp edge to it, probably because she wasn't able to threaten anyone anymore. But Legolas did what they both wanted so desperately; he quickened his pace again,  and within a few minutes he nearly collapsed on top of her, wanting to slowly ride out his orgasm. 

"Just a bit... Please. .." she huffed out, and he thrust one last time. She felt his cock twitching inside her and the dam in front of the pooled up heat exploded, her whole body flooded with a tingling sensation and for a brief moment, she couldn't see our hear.

Legolas finally collapsed on top of her.

After a few minutes, he asked, "Did you wish to wait?" with a look so smug she barely even recognised the normally quiet Elf anymore. 

"Shut up" she shot back as he pulled out of her, his seed slowly inching down on her inner thigh.

She grabbed an elaborately embroidered handkerchief and cleaned herself before handing it to him.

"Do you not wish to keep this clean?" He asked, studying the beautiful pattern. 

"I'm still a Ranger at heart.  I hate embroideries. " She half-smiled at him, and snuggled closer to the now non-sticky Elf. 

"Good night, Legolas Greenleaf. " She muttered.

"Good night, meleth-nin" he said quietly, slowly slipping into the open-eyed Elven dreams. 


End file.
